Buoy stabilization system



Filfld Aug. 18, 1966 omecnou OF WAVE TRAVEL I8 53 5 l3 I5 F I6. I

FIG. 2

INVENT OR JUL IAN JOSE PHSON W ATTORNEY United States Patent U.S. Cl. 137-815 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is designed to counteract buoy displacement by waves. It is based on the principle of pure-fluid amplifiers which produces a pressure pulse equal and opposite to that of the wave thereby inhibiting horizontal displacement of the buoy. The fluid amplifiers are arranged in three separate stages wherein the outlet pressure of the first stage operates as a control element to the second stage and the pressure from the second stage is directed to the next stage, etc. The output of the last stage counteracts the pressure of the oncoming wave. Separate units may be secured to opposite sides of a buoy for better stabilization.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America .for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention is directed to a stabilizer device and more particularly to a stabilization device for stabilizing a moored buoy in a desired surrounding of water.

It is well known that buoys have been used for various purposes other than tying a ship or used as markers for various purposes. Buoys have been used for storing equipment for determination of weather, for detecting ships in the area, as electronic navigation devices and many other uses. In various operations of systems which are mounted within a buoy, there is a requirement that the buoy be as stable as possible. Therefore, Wave action operating against a moored buoy is known to make the buoy rock back and forth in accordance with the wave action which forces against the buoy. There is a desire in the scientific field to provide a device which is suitable for counteracting wave action thereby stabilizing a moored buoy for the purpose of better performance of the equipment carried thereby.

The present invention makes use of fluid amplifiers in carrying out the intended results. The fluid amplifiers are secured on each side of a buoy and arranged for the purpose of disclosure of this invention in three separate stages wherein the pressure from the first stage is directed as a control element to the second stage and the pressure output from the second stage is directed to the third stage as a control element wherein a pressure pulse originating in the first stage is increased many told.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a stabilization device for stabilizing the vertical position of a moored buoy due to wave action.

Another object is to provide a device for stabilizing a buoy which will improve the operation of equipment carried by the buoy.

Still another object is to provide an inexpensive system having no moveable parts which makes use of the 'ice force by a wave in order to stabilize a buoy against the force of the wave.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the annexed drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 represents a schematic diagram of the system of the invention; and

FIG. 2 represents a schematic diagram of a buoy to which the apparatus of the present invention is secured.

Now referring to the drawings there is shown by illustration a schematic flow diagram of the buoy stabiliza- ,tion fluid amplification system of the present invention.

As shown, the system 9, as shown in FIG. 2, on each side of buoy 70, comprises three fluid amplification controlled flip-flop amplifier stages, each comprising a controlled flip-flop fluid amplifier. The first stage 10 comprises a power inlet 11 with separate outlets 12 and 13 which are spaced by splitter 14. The flip-flop includes a control passage 15 which is connected to a tank 16 by a suitable flow line 17 which has therein a valve 18 which restricts the flow toward the control 15. The tank is also provided with an outlet flow line 21 which connects with the input 11 of the flip-flop 10. The top of the tank is provided with a one way fluid flow check valve 22 which permits fluid to enter the tank through the valve and is also provided with a pressure gage 23 which indicates the pressure of the fluid Within the tank 16. Control passage 24 of the flip-flop 10 is blocked off by a fluid flow check valve 25 which permits fluid flow out through passage 24 rather than into the control 24. The second stage comprises a flip-flop which has an inlet 31 and outlets 32 and 33 separated by splitter 34. The flip-flop 30 also includes'control passage 35 which is secured to outlet 13 of flip-flop 10 by a suitable flow line 36. Control passage 37 of flip-flop 30 is connected With output 12 of flip-flop 10 by a suitable flow line 38. A tank 41 is connected to the inlet 31 of the flipflop 30 of the second stage of the device by use of an outlet line 40. The tank is provided with a one Way fluid flow check valve 42 which permits fluid flow into the tank and a pressure gage 43 which indicates the pressure of the fluid within tank 41. The third stage comprises a flip-flop having an inlet 51 and outlets 52 and 53 which are separated by splitter 54. The flipflop 50 also includes a control passage 55 which is connected with outlet 33 of flip-flop 30 by a suitable flow line 56. Control passage 57 of flip-flop 50 is connected with output 32 of flip-flop 30 by suitable flow line 58. Tank 61 is provided with an outlet line 62 which is cohnected with the inlet 51 of flip-flop 50. The tank 61 is also provided with an inlet fluid flow check valve 63 which permits fluid to flow into tank 61 and is also provided with a pressure gage 64 which indicates the pressure within the tank. Each of the outlets 52 and 53 are provided with pressure gages 65, and 66, respectively, to indicate the fluid flow from the outputs of flip-flop 50.

Fluid flow pressure gain is obtained by use of the three ditferent amplifier stages, as shown, the inlet and flow passages are larger in the amplifier stages 30 and 50, respectively. As the gain in flow at the outputs of each respective stage increases, so does the size of the inlets for each of the respective stages. Therefore a gain 3 in fluid flow will be obtained by the use of additional stages. Since the fluid amplifiers increase in size for each stage, the pressure output of the last stage will be much greater than the first stage. The particular gain by each fluid amplifier is determined by design which is well known in the art.

The pressure gages as shown in the schematic connected with tanks 16, 41, and 61 and to the outlets 52 and 53 of flip-flop 50 may be omitted during use of the device however they are shown in the schematic for test purposes wherein the pressure within the tanks and the outlets may be indicated during test of the device.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a buoy 70 wtih an apparatus such as described above secured to each side thereof. The surface of the buoy is so shaped hydrodynamically that the same point on the buoy will always head in the direction of the largest oncoming ocean wave. One each of the device of the present invention may be attached to each side of the buoy so that the power jet inlet of each stage of the fluid amplifier is aligned with the oncoming waves toward the direction from which the waves are coming. The entire device of the present invention including the tanks are secured to the buoy such that the entire device including the tanks will be submerged. The fluid from the power outlet of each device on opposite sides of the buoy will function to counteract the force by the wave wherein the force from the device is in the opposite direction thereby stabilizing the buoy against the wave action.

In operation of the device for stabilization of a buoy, separate wave guide stabilization systems 9 are secured to opposite sides of a buoy 70 such that the valves in each of the tanks are toward the surface of the water and the inlet to the fluid amplifiers are directed in a direction from which the wave travels. The buoy is so constructed that the buoy will line up with the wave with the greatest force thereby lining the input of the fluid amplifiers in the direction from which the wave of the greatest force will appear. Tank 16 is positioned forward of tanks 41 and 61 such that the first portion of the wave striking the buoy will create a pressure over tank 16 such that water enters through valve 22 and will be directed through the power inlet 11 of flip-flop amplifier 10. Simultaneously, the pressure through connection 17 will enter into control passage thereby forcing the fluid through inlet 11 to be directed through output 12. The fluid from output 12 is directed into the control passage 37 of flip-flop to control the fluid from tank 41 through inlet 31. Subsequent to the wave passing over tank 16 the wave will pass over tank 41 thereby causing a fluid to flow into the tank through valve 42 thereby forcing fluid through inlet 31. The fluid passing through inlet 31 is forced by the fluid from outlet 12 in control passage 37 to be directed out through passage 33 of flip-flop 30. As the wave continues along the buoy the wave passes over tank 61 thereby creating pressure above the tank which forces fluid into the tank through valve 63 and out through pressure line 62 into pressure inlet 51 of flip-flop 50. The fluid from outlet 33 of flip-flop 30 passes into fluid passage of flipflop 50 thereby forcing the fluid flow through 51 to pass through outlet 52. The fluid passing out of output passage 52 will be forced against the water within which the buoy is placed thereby forcing the buoy in a direction toward the wave such that the output pressure will counteract the force applied against the buoy from the opposite direction by the wave.

The above description applies to a stabilization device which would be secured to the right side of the buoy facing in the direction of the wave, the device placed on the opposite side will be arranged such that the outlet from tank 16 into the amplifier 10 will be such that the control passage 24 will be used as the control element. With outlet 17 from tank 16 connected with control passage 24, the fluid flow control valve 25 will be 4 connected to control passage 15. The control valve 25 connected to passage 15 will be connected such that the fluid flow will pass from control passage 15 through control valve 25 but not through the control valve into passage 15. Thereby the fluid in inlet 11 of flip-flop 10 will pass through outlet 13 of flip-flop 10 to the control element 35 and out through outlet 32 of flip-flop 30. The fluid then passes into the control inlet 57 of flip-flop 30 and out through passage 53. Thus, the fluid will be directed away from the buoy in each of the instances and the fluid from each outlet 52 and 53 of the separate amplifier units respectively on opposite sides of the buoy will thereby be forced against the water within which the buoy is positioned. Thus, the fluid emerging from outlet 52 on the right side and the fluid through outlet 53 on the left side of the buoy will stabilize the buoy in the vertical plane sufficiently to counteract the force from the oncoming wave.

It is obvious from the use of the present stabilization system on a buoy that the greater the wave, the greater the pressure will be in the tanks and therefore the greater the pressure through the inlets to the respective fluid amplifiers, which in turn produce a greater pressure output at the output of fluid amplifier 50. Also it will be obvious to others that more than one system may be used on each side of the buoy. It is also obvious that more than three stages may be used in the fluid amplifier system and that for some occasions only one system may be required on a particular buoy. From an understanding of the Operation of the device it is plainly seen that the above described device will operate to counteract wave motion of a buoy wherein the wave itself produces the force by which the wave is counteracted. Therefore the greater the size of the wave, the greater the counteraction force.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A system for stabilizing a moored buoy subjected to waves, which comprises:

first, second, and third controlled flip-flop fluid amplifiers mounted within said buoy and interconnected in series,

each of said fluid amplifiers including an input passage,

first and second control passages positioned to control fluid flow from said input passage and first and second output passages extending from said input passage,

a fluid flow means connecting said first output of said first fluid amplifier with said first control passage of said second fluid amplifier,

a fluid flow means connecting said second output of said fluid amplifier with said second control passage of said first fluid amplifier,

a fluid flow means connecting said first output passage of said second fluid amplifier with said first control passage of said third fluid amplifier,

a fluid flow means connecting said second output passage of said second fluid amplifier with said second control passage of said third fluid amplifier,

a first pressure tank, said first pressure tank including first and second outlets, fluid flow means connecting said first outlet of said first tank with said first inlet passage of said first fluid amplifier,

fluid flow means connecting said second outlet of said first tank with said first control passage of said first fluid amplifier,

a separate fluid control means operatively connected with said first and second control passages of said first fluid amplifier,

an inlet in said first tank, and

a one way valve secured in said inlet in said first tank to permit fluid flow into said tank.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, which comprises:

a second and third pressure tank,

each of said second and third tanks having an outlet 5 and an inlet therein,

a one way valve in the inlet in said second and third tank to permit fluid flow into each of said tanks, fluid flow means connecting the outlet of said second tank with said inlet passage of said second fluid amplifier, fluid flow means connecting the outlet of said third tank with said inlet passage of said third fluid amplifier, whereby said control passages control the output through which fluid will pass during operation to amplify the force of the fluid emerging from one of said outlets in said third fluid amplifier.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner. WILLIAM R. CLINE, Assistant Examiner. 

